l6o Deep'Sea Chimeras 



West Indian coral groves. Back bluish, with a green 

 tinge, iridescent, changing through purplish-blue and 

 bluish-grey to rosy-white below, and milky-white 

 towards the median line of the belly. Head rosy, 

 iridescent, with red tints most abundant on the fore- 

 head, blue under the eyes, cheeks fawn-coloured. 

 Throat and under-side of the head pearly-white, with 

 an occasional tint of lemon-yellow, this most pro- 

 nounced in front of the ventrals and on the anterior 

 portion of ventral fins. Back with numerous macula- 

 tions of bright lemon or golden. Anal fin purplish, 

 with blue and rose tints, iridescent. Margin of anal 

 fin rich purplish-blue, iridescent like the most beautiful 

 mother-of-pearl ; this colour pervading more or less 

 the whole fin, which has large yellow maciolations. 

 The lower border is rose-coloured like the belly, and 

 the base of the fin also partakes of this general hue. 

 Dashes of milk-white on the base of the anal fin 

 between the rays. Pectorals sepia-coloured with rosy 

 and purplish iridescence.' 



There is not really much wonder that the learned 

 doctor should go in for word-painting like this, es- 

 pecially as the subject of his remarks is beautiful in 

 form as well as colour, and nearly all the fishes he had 

 hitherto been describing are black, leaden-grey or 

 livid toad-belly white. But apart from the splendour 

 of this fish, its brief history as one of the American 

 food fishes is a marvellous object-lesson in the 

 climatic influences affecting fish. In 1879 the first 

 catch of a large number was reported as noted 

 above, and throughout the years 1880-82 the 

 governmental fishery vessels were busy examining 

 the sea for the limits of the new (?) fishes' feeding- 

 ground and experimenting on the best way of 

 catching them. 



